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(And 7 Steps to Powerful Results)

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WHY VIDEO IS ESSENTIAL TO YOUR MARKETING MIX (And 7 Steps to Powerful Results) A growing number of B2C and B2B companies are looking for ways to incorporate video into their marketing strategies, and with good reason. As of May 2011, more than 48 hours (two days worth) of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute (see Figure 1). And viewers are consuming all that video in droves. In the same month, the site’s hun- dreds of millions of unique visitors worldwide catapulted YouTube past the 3 billion views-a-day While YouTube is the undisputed king of online video- sharing sites, others including Vimeo and Blip.tv are serving an audience hungry for video. In the US in July 2011, the total number of online video viewing ses- sions was nearly 7 billion per comScore. It’s no wonder that the use of video-sharing sites is steadily rising (see Figure 2). But what does all this mean for your business? This whitepaper aims to help those in charge of social me- dia marketing understand how to harness the promise of online video for business success. Figure 1. More than 48 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute2

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WHY VIDEO IS ESSENTIAL TO YOUR MARKETING MIX (And 7 Steps to Powerful Results) ONLINE VIDEO YIELDS MEASURABLE BUSINESS IMPACT Perhaps you’re still skeptical about investing your resources to produce video. These three real-world examples should convince you that your money and time will be well spent. Video-sharing site usage over time: 2006 - 2011 % of internet users in each group who visit video sharing sites (total and on a typical day) Source: The Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, April 26 - May 22, 2011 Spring Tracking Survey. n=2,277 adult internet users ages 18 and older, including 755 cell phone interviews. Interviews were conducted in English and Spanish. Figure 2. Internet users are increasingly visiting video-sharing sites3

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WHY VIDEO IS ESSENTIAL TO YOUR MARKETING MIX (And 7 Steps to Powerful Results) Visits to event sites skyrocket power of live video with an automated system for man- Event producer C3 Presents integrated the Facebook aging viewer registrations, con rmation and follow-up Connect feature with its Lollapalooza and Austin City Lim- emails, and audience statistics reporting. As a result, it was its Music Festival websites to automatically disseminate able to track and convert leads and report the ROI of its video from its sites via the YouTube network. The results? video project. Page views soared by 99%, pages viewed per visit were up 34%, and average time spent on the sites rose 20%. Correction-tape brand engages potential customers Correction-tape brand Tippex launched an attention- grabbing campaign on YouTube called NSFW. A hunter shoots a bear!, showing a reluctant hunter faced with shooting a bear. At the end of the video, viewers can choose from one of two buttons: to shoot or not. Regard- less of which button viewers pushed, the hunter decides not to shoot the bear. Here’s where the video gets really interesting – the hunter reaches outside the frame for the Tippex tape dispenser shown in the ad alongside the vid- eo to erase the word shoots from the video’s title. Viewers are then invited to replace the word shoots with a verb of their choice, then hit Enter and see what unfolds. In the rst few weeks of the campaign, the video pulled in more than 6.3 million viewers. Medical device manufacturer generates leads But online video isn’t just for businesses in the media and entertainment industry. A medical device manufacturer used video webcasts to market a device used in heart surgeries. Live video webcasts let surgeons around the globe—all potential customers—see the device in action during actual operations. The manufacturer coupled the7

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WHY VIDEO IS ESSENTIAL TO YOUR MARKETING MIX (And 7 Steps to Powerful Results) Create once, deliver twice: spread across social networks To get the most from your video – and your social-media campaigns – you want as many of your targeted viewers as pos- sible to see what you’ve produced. The beauty of video is that you can create it once and deliver it across multiple social networks to extend your reach. Whether you post your video on YouTube, Face- book, Vimeo, or ickr, Tweet the link on Twitter, embed it in blogs, and announce it on LinkedIn and Google+. Once your social networks start buzzing, measure video e ectiveness in terms of views, comments, shares, and likes across all those channels.Right side images: A Hunter Shoots a Bear! Video

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WHY VIDEO IS ESSENTIAL TO YOUR MARKETING MIX (And 7 Steps to Powerful Results)Choosing the Right VideoAs you can see, both B2C and B2B businesses are e ec- Video is for More thantively using video to attract attention and cultivate inter-action with prospective customers. Your business can do YouTubethe same. The rst step is to select the type of video thatwill best convey your message and engage your audience. It’s easy to get swept up in the YouTube phe-The three main types of video are: nomenon and forget that online video can Informative deliver value on your own site or when sent Instructional or how-to Entertaining via email. Here are just a few examples: Interactive training sessionsInformative Video sales presentationsBecause online video is an immediate media, it’s a terri cvehicle for sharing the latest news, analysis, or opinion on Live meetings with prospectsa hot topic. As long as it appeals to your prospects, cus- “Video voicemails” recorded and senttomers, or valued stakeholders, consider getting the wordout via video. The hundreds of videos on the WebMD site with just a few clicksare a great example of using informative, timely video to Live or recorded video played back fromkeep an audience in the know and educated, while estab-lishing WebMD as the expert in its eld. your Web siteInstructionalIf you want to share your expertise to cut customer-service sume that producing an entertaining video is a waste ofcosts, help customers get the most value from your prod- money and something only the largest of companies canucts or services, or simply establish your company as the a ord to do. Kinaxis, a company o ering on-demand soft-go-to resource, instructional videos may be the answer. ware for supply chain management, produced an award-These videos can be an ideal way to explain step by step winning series of entertaining videos called Kinaxis Suit-how to accomplish a task, get a product up and running, emates. Throughout the six-episode video series, viewersor make a repair. D-Link, a company selling networking are entertained with a satirical look at frustration withequipment to both homes and businesses, has produced Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) o erings for the sup-a library of short, instructional videos to do just that. ply chain. As of April 2010, the company had more than tripled its leads, and boosted the number of registered community members by nearly 38%. The series evenEntertaining won BtoB Magazine’s Best 2010 Award for creative use ofWhether you’re a B2C or B2B company, you’re selling to online video to drive site tra c and create buzz among itspeople. And people enjoy being entertained. But don’t as- audience.

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WHY VIDEO IS ESSENTIAL TO YOUR MARKETING MIX (And 7 Steps to Powerful Results)7 Steps to Video Success quality tend to garner the most views, links, andNow that we’ve convinced you it’s worthwhile to add comments. When possible, keep your videos brief orvideo to your marketing mix, you’re probably wondering edit down as necessary. If you need to post a longerthe best way to go about getting a video produced and video, embed clickable “chapters” or “sections” usingpromoted. Here are seven simple steps: a service such as that o ered by Avitage.1. Consider what you have to o er and how you can 4. Aim for high quality best deliver it If you’ve got the funds, enlist a professional or expe- Figure out the purpose of the video by determin- rienced videographer to shoot and edit your video. If ing what you have to share with your audience. For you’re on a tight budget, follow these simple produc- example, it makes no sense to plunk someone in tion tip: front of a camera to read your recent whitepaper on enterprise software and inventory control. But Use good lighting. Whether your lighting is too you could probably pique lots of interest by show- dark or too light, your subject will be hard to see. ing a video of your customer’s manufacturing plant, That’s why it’s critical to ensure proper lighting. interviewing workers who speak to the importance of automated inventory control, and showing how Dress appropriately. A striped shirt on camera much happier they are in their daily work. For a live leads to an optical illusion, leaving the viewer or recorded business presentation with PowerPoint seeing blurry, swirling lines. At the same time, slides and other rich media elements, you may want clothing with large or geometric patterns can to try Proclaim from Netbrie ngs. distract attention from the speaker. The ideal clothing features simple colors that don’t clash2. Share it with others via sites such as YouTube, with or blend into the background. Vimeo, SlideShare, or Blip.tv Pace yourself. If you want viewers to get en- The beauty of video-sharing sites is that they help gaged and interested, kick up the pace by using you reach a far broader universe of people than you energetic music in the background and making can via your own site. So be sure to distribute your tight, quick edits. If you’re telling a dramatic video across the various sharing sites. Depending story, slow things down and let the emotions on your business and o ering, some venues will be ow. more appropriate than others. Do your homework and then get your video in syndication! 5. Include a call to action3. Respect the audience’s time Video is part of the marketing mix, so include a call to action in the video and on the page hosting it Everyone’s busy so never be afraid to aim for a that drives desired behavior, whether encouraging a shorter video. In fact, shorter videos with good video visit to a speci c Web page, requesting more informa-

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WHY VIDEO IS ESSENTIAL TO YOUR MARKETING MIX (And 7 Steps to Powerful Results) tion, calling a salesperson, or taking some other action that contributes to your overall goals. For example, on Comment on related videos on YouTube and other YouTube, you could include a call to action in the eld video-sharing sites and include a link to your video describing the video and on Facebook you could urge viewers to leave a comment after viewing the video Keep an eye on related videos and who has linked your way to promote link building6. O er options to reach a larger audience Use tools such as YouTube Insight to see how your Publish your videos as iPod-ready (or “any other video tra c evolves as you promote your video, then player”-ready) video les by choosing the right video adjust your approach as necessary format, size, and data rate (download this guide from Apple for instructions on preparing your video for the Now that you’ve got a solid understanding of why and how iPod). This helps you reach a larger audience with vary- to add video to your marketing mix, it’s time to start produc- ing consumption preferences, allowing your audience ing powerful videos – and results! to not only take your content with them on the go, but also decide when, where, and how they choose to consume it7. Optimize your videos for search Videos are searchable so take these steps to increase the likelihood of them appearing high in the results on search engines such as Google. Place relevant keywords in your video’s title, de scription, and tags Promote your video on Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks Embed your video on your blog or Web site Choose the appropriate category and adjust set tings – including those for commenting, voting, rat ing, and embedding – so your video is easily accessible

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